Loew's Paradise Theatre

2413 Grand Concourse,

Bronx,
NY10468

This is now the World Changers Church, where the funeral of the assassinated police officer Miosotis Familia is being held. Link to NY Daily News article about sprucing up the venue in preparation for the funeral.

Article: NYPD employees touched up the exterior of a Bronx church Sunday in preparation for the wake and funeral for Officer Miosotis Familia.

The civilian workers in the NYPD’s Building Maintenance Section added a fresh coat of gold paint to decorations outside the World Changers Church on the Grand Concourse — a small show of appreciation for the mother of three killed last week in the line of duty.

The employees said they were honored to contribute to Familia’s wake, which will be held Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Her funeral will follow on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

“It’s just so sad,” said paint shop supervisor Robert Cherrick, 46. “She was just doing her job.”

Parishioners also said they were eager to help however they could at the church — which was once the majestic Loew’s Paradise Theater. It has a capacity of around 4,000.

Officials anticipate over 20,000 will attend the funeral.

A mentally ill cop-hating assassin shot Familia, 48, as she sat inside an NYPD mobile command unit at Creston Ave. and E. 183rd St. around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. The 34-year-old killer was shot to death by police a block from the murder scene in Fordham Heights.

It must be one of the few theaters to be mentioned in an Academy Award-winning Best Picture and Best Screenplay. From “Marty” (1955), partially filmed on location in the Bronx: “I hear there’s a good picture in the Loew’s Paradise”.

My father worked in the Bronx and in 1977 he would bring my brother and to see the original Star Wars there on Wednesday’s when our Catholic grammar school would let out early to allow for religious instruction for public school students. I was only seven years old, but I remember the theater being huge and beautiful.

I’m doing a project for my photojournalism class at NYU about closed down independent movie theaters in New York. I hope to gain information about people’s past experiences at these movie theaters, recollections of favorite memories or not so great experiences, perhaps economical insight, contacts with owners/managers, etc. On a larger level, I hope my project is able to show the significance of the role that these establishments play in our city and the importance of keeping them afloat.

If anyone would be willing to answer a few questions via email about your personal memories at the theater, please let me know! It could be as simple as recounting a favorite movie you remember seeing back when it was open. I would greatly appreciate your insight.

I was in the area yesterday and I was graciously allowed to go in. All my youth memories came back. What a beautiful restoration. And with lights on you can see all the glory of this beautiful house. No more stars but nonetheless everything else was perfect. I asked if I could take pictures but there was a small service going on but they said maybe another time.

This Loew’s Wonder Theatre seemed to last the longest as an actual regular movie theatre finally being closed by Loews (Sony at the time) in January of 1994. I’m sure being a quad at the time helped extend it’s run.

I know this is late notice, but tonight, April 7th, at 8:30, WNYE-TV channel 25 will be airing an episode of their Blueprint NYC series devoted to the Loew’s Wonder Theaters. If you miss it, you may be able to watch the episode at their website after it has aired.

stang119 – Do you remember if the two new screens were in the same place at the front of the auditorium? Or did they just drop a new wall down where the edge of the balcony is, like they did at the Loew’s Jersey?

As per my older posts, I grew up at the Paradise. But only went a few times after the initial twinning but only once after the quadding (I almost cried). A new projection booth was built in the rear of the orchestra for the downstairs screens. Obviously some back rows were lost but worse the projection angle made viewing headache inducing.

DaveM – Usually it’s for insurance purposed they will not let us wander around up there. When the 175th shows films the Loge & Balcony section are closed as well. Seating is on the main orchestra level only. I tried to find the old photo’s of the Paradise as a multiplex that Bway had suggested in the comments section, but I could not locate them unfortunately.

theatrefan — I had the same question as to where the theater 1 booth was. I doubt it was on the orchestra floor. It might have been at the front of the balcony, or the old booth projecting over or maybe even between 2 and 3, if there was a space between the theaters. I just don’t remember.

movieguy — I didn’t find the church people unfriendly at all — maybe just a little surprised anyone wanted to see the building. I would have liked to have seen the balcony, but I’m sure they had their reasons for keeping it off limits, like insurance. Any reluctance I had to wander the orchestra was out of respect for people there for church, not because I was stopped by anyone. I wouldn’t say the theater is “unused”. The church is using the space, which means keeping it heated and keeping the roof intact. Because of this, the theater will survive. We wouldn’t have the 175th Street if it weren’t for the late Rev. Ike.

A Robert Morton organ – OK, 4 manuals – yes, but only 7 ranks? Surely not! I thought all these Robert Morton “Wonder Organs” had 23 ranks? Probably the Midnight Organ Pipe-Removal Company had paid a visit!
Although Harold Ramsay (note the spelling, his surname was really Ramsbottom) was born in Great Yarmouth in England, he was actually Canadian as his family had emigrated to Canada when he was three years old and taken citizenship.

DaveM & Markp, If the balcony was walled off at that point, I wonder how they projected the films on the orchestra screen. Did they have to add another projection room downstairs like the Jersey did? When they finally created a quad, they must have split the lower level into two, I wonder if it was only the section of seats directly underneath the balcony section like had been done at the Jersey. Multiplexing these two Wonder theatres did help them survive a bit longer than the other three, which never had been cut up. I believe the Paradise was closed by Loews in January of 1994, a few months before they changed the name to Sony Theatres.

I think it’s a terrible shame and waste that the Lowe’s paradise is sitting unused. It was so beautifully restored. There had been some questionable management running the place and stories of them keeping money, That was owed to the performers and making off with money. But it’s a real shame is there’s a restaurant right next door and there could be a lot of good acts that would appeal to a wide range of people. Now he just sits and from what people posted here, the people who have it now are very unfriendly and unwilling to let people look around inside.

DaveM, thats different than the way they did the Jersey in Jersey City. There, they dropped the wall down from the balcony cutting off the front part of the orchestra. They split the area under the balcony for cinema 2 & 3, and the balcony became cinema 1. All the seats in the front orchestra were removed.

I don’t know how the theater was quadded — I do recall the triplex which preceded it, which was quite tastefully done. They dropped a wall toward the front of the balcony and left the entire orchestra section, including the dome and stars in front of the wall, intact as theater 1. Unless you were sitting right up front and craned your head back, you didn’t see the wall, and the atmospheric effect was intact. The balcony was split right down the middle for theaters 2 and 3. I can’t remember if they dropped a false ceiling or used the original ceiling in theaters 2 and 3. So I would usually pick whatever was playing in theater 1. Loews took pretty good care of the place in the 70s.

Yes, the theater was in fact multiplexed before closing. I had seen photos of it online, when they were taking the walls down before the restoration, but unfortunately, that was a long while ago, and don’t know where. If you scroll through all the comments, it may have been a link here on this site, and perhaps the link still works.